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Thanks to your advocacy efforts on our behalf, we're happy to report that the recently passed Omnibus Spending Bill includes a very small increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities! While our work is not over with regards to the upcoming 2018 budget to be passed in the fall, the Omnibus Spending Bill represents an endorsement of the important work that the humanities do for our communities. These funds will continue to support our work of providing free access to authoritative content about Virginia's history and culture.

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Drug Jar Found at Jamestown

A ceramic drug jar unearthed during excavations of the early fort at Jamestown sheds light on the daily life of the settlers. The colonists were frequently ill, and they often consulted apothecaries, who diagnosed maladies and prescribed drugs. In addition to being scarce, doctors were generally too expensive for the average person.

Herbal remedies were widely used, both those imported from England as well as experimental curative substances found in the New World. These new remedies included tobacco, which was used as an antidote for a variety of maladies, from worms to lung congestion; sassafras, which was used to treat syphilis; and jalap and ipecac, which served as powerful purgatives.